Discussion

Brownies for a Luau

I am going to my office's Luau next week and have signed up to bring brownies. I know it is an odd thing to bring to a Luau but we have highly organized potlucks and we can only bring what is on the prescribed menu. All I can think of is frosted brownies topped with coconut flakes. Please help me brainstorm. Thanks

Make the Brownies with the thick coconut cream at the top of a can of coconut milk instead of butter. I had them made this way once in Thailand and it was addictive! Add macadamia nuts instead of walnuts. Coco-Mac brownies!

I like the macadamia nut idea in theory, but I don't know how they would mesh w/ a chewy brownie texture...they don't seem quite right, but what do I know since I've never done it before.

One thought that I had was lacing the brownies w/ finely ground Kona coffee...love coffee and chocolate together. And/or you could do some sort of Kahlua icing or swirl. That should keep you hula'ing away...

If you break up the macadamia nuts first they should be okay. To break them up, wrap about a cup in a flour sack dishtowel, lay them on your counter or chopping board, then bang them with a rolling pin. If necessary, chop them even finer with a chef knife. Don't start with the knife, as the round nuts will roll all over the board.

I'm not sure how well this would work in brownie form, but I was once served a slice of chocolate-orange bundt cake - the orange made the cake taste much lighter than it actualy was, very nice and summery.